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2014-2016 COURSE CATALOGUE : HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Hobart and William Smith Colleges have a record of excellence in the health professions. HWS graduates gain admission to highly selective programs, and our alumni go on to become leaders in their fields. Our small class sizes, high-quality faculty, strength in the sciences, and community of collaborative, diverse and high-achieving students promote strong learning outcomes. Professional schools know this, and value our graduates for what they learn at HWS and for our graduates’ records of success in taking on new challenges after college.

At HWS, health professions advising is individualized. In addition to the information provided on the Health Professions webpage, the Health Professions Advising Office, located in the Salisbury Center for Career Services and Professional Development, maintains a wealth of additional resources. Workshops, guest speakers, information sessions and other special opportunities are widely advertised on campus and shared with students through a health professions email distribution list.

Health Professions Club
This active, student-run group sponsors multiple health professions related programs both on and off campus.

Internship Program
An opportunity to observe the delivery of healthcare and volunteer in the healthcare field is provided each semester for interested sophomores, juniors and seniors. HWS has partnered with Finger Lakes Health and a number of other local providers. Interns commit to 50 hours of shadowing/volunteer time during the semester. The Health Professions Advising Office can also arrange short-term job shadowing and off-campus experiences.

Blackwell BS/MD Program
Qualified high school seniors are considered for admission to this combined BA/BS and MD program. Those who meet and maintain the standards of the program are guaranteed a seat at the College of Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University upon graduation from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. See the HWS Admissions webpage for more information about criteria and application materials.

Early Assurance Medical Programs
SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and SUNY Upstate Medical University both allow qualified students to apply and be accepted to medical school at the end of the sophomore year.

Early Assurance Nursing Program
HWS and the University of Rochester School of Nursing have established a 4+3 program that provides third-year students a guaranteed seat in either the one-year post baccalaureate program leading to RN licensure or the three-year program leading to nurse practitioner certification.

The Health Profession Advisory Committee (HPAC), comprised of faculty members, administrators, and the health professions counselor, advises students regarding all aspects of the application process.

THE PROGAMMajors and Minors
Pre-health students can and should major in disciplines that they are passionate about. While many pre-health students select majors in the sciences, this is often not required. The minor in Health Care Professions is a popular choice, but students can and should also minor in a subject of interest. Minors in foreign languages, Public Policy, Women’s or Men’s Studies, International Relations, Child Advocacy, or a host of others could serve pre-health students well.

Prerequisite courses
Health professional schools set prerequisites for gaining admission to their programs. Students should consult regularly with their faculty advisers and the Health Professions Adviser to plan an academic program that best prepares them for their chosen profession. Information is also available on the Health Professions webpage.

Standardized Exams
Prerequisite courses are the best initial preparation for standardized exams such as the MCAT, DAT and PCAT. Exams must be taken a year (or more) before entry into professional school. The Health Professions Counselor can provide additional information about exams and how best to prepare for them.

THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS MINOR
This is an interdisciplinary minor for students preparing for professional or graduate training in a health care specialty. The minor is particularly suited for students majoring in a natural science (such as Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, or Physics) who wish to take a suite of interdisciplinary courses that will provide them with perspectives from the social sciences and humanities on health care and related topics. In addition, students can take some courses for the minor that will provide them with useful skills or experiences for practicing medicine in a professional setting.

Faculty members of the Health Professions Minor Steering Committee oversee the minor program, advise students, and approve declaration and audit forms for individual students. The Health Professions Advisory Committee Chair acts as the program coordinator and approves all minor declarations and audits.

The Goals of the minor:

Enable the participants to study important issues of health care in the United States and abroad.

Allow the participants to gain auxiliary skills vital to health professionals in the 21st century.

Allow the participants to improve communication skills and to consider ethical foundations essential for health professionals.

Students minoring in health professions must complete:

Six total courses/experiences, all of which must be unique to the minor.

No more than two 100-level courses.

At least one Foundations Course.

A Concentration of at least three courses. The courses within the Concentration of choice must come from at least two different disciplines.

Students may choose from one of the concentration areas listed below, or

Students may develop a concentration, collaborating with their minor adviser to define the concentration and select appropriate courses.

Special attention should be paid to completing some of the formal coursework in both the humanities and social sciences; the minor should be diverse with courses from several different disciplines. Students may also wish to include up to two of the Skills Courses/Experiences listed below.

Foundations Courses – must complete one, no more than two may be used for the minor:
ANTH 110 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (offered every semester)
PHIL 156 Biomedical Ethics (offered 3 out of every 4 semesters)
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology (offered every semester)
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology (offered every semester)
WMST 100 Intro to Women’s Studies (offered every semester)

Skills Courses/Experiences – optional; no more than two may be used for the minor:
An HWS-sponsored Clinical Internship (minimum of 50 hours) or EMT certification
HCP 450 An appropriate Independent Study approved by the steering committee
SPAN 102, 121, 122, 203, 204 (any of these listed Spanish language courses may be counted on its own; a second Spanish language course can be counted, but must be at the 200-level)**
WRRH 351 The Science Beat (offered alternate years)

** If your career plans in health care make another language desirable, two courses in a language other than Spanish can be incorporated into the minor with permission of your minor adviser and the program Chair. You should get permission BEFORE you embark on any language other than Spanish.

Concentrations – students must complete at least three courses in one concentration. The courses within the concentration of choice must come from at least two different disciplines (for example, ECON and SOC, or ECON and WMST, but not solely ECON).

Selected courses from study abroad programs may also be included in the minor with prior approval by the steering committee. The programs in Galway, Ireland and Copenhagen, Denmark are especially recommended.